STMicroelectronics launches sub-50 cent 8-bit Flash microcontrollers

Geneva, Switzerland  STMicroelectronics has introduced an ultra-low-cost series of Flash microcontrollers (MCUs) aimed at cost-sensitive products such as electric bicycles (ebikes), air conditioning, small appliances and sensors. The ST7FOX series includes devices with 2 KB to 8 KB of on-chip Flash memory and with eight to 32
pins, all priced below 50 cents.

Part of the ST7 family of MCUs, built on an industry-standard 8-bit architecture, the ST7FOX devices achieve their low unit cost with a simplified feature set, while maintaining the benefits of a proven technology, said ST. The ST7FOX family operates at +5 V (+/-10%) power supply, and includes a relaxed RC oscillator that can
be calibrated within the application.

The ST7FOX offers an upgrade path to the ST7Lite family, providing a scalable solution to designers. The low pricing enables designers to implement a microcontroller solution to replace electromechanical or logic-based control, and for the same cost as ROM devices this Flash-based family will ease inventory management, said ST. A free integrated development environment (IDE) including a C compiler also minimizes development cost.

Pricing: All devices are priced at less than $0.50 in large quantities.
Availability: Samples are available now in: 8-pin DIP or SO-8 packaged devices with 2-Kbytes of Flash, and 32-pin DIP or LQFP devices with 4-Kbytes of Flash.
Product information: ST7FOX